Tiger's toughness an inspiration

Lindsey Vonn, set to seal her return from devastating knee injuries on Friday at Lake Louise, says boyfriend Tiger Woods was "a huge inspiration" as she battled to return to World Cup skiing.

"Tiger is pretty tough," the US speed queen said in an interview posted on the website of one of her sponsors.

"He's an incredibly hard worker. He has been through a lot of injuries in his career, and he has always fought back. He's a huge inspiration for me."

Vonn, the 2010 Olympic downhill champion, is slated to race for the first time since December of 2013 when she competes in a downhill at Lake Louise, Alberta, on Friday.

The 30-year-old American, who won four overall World Cup titles between 2008 and 2012, badly injured her right knee competing in a super-G at the 2013 World Championships.

After surgery and a lengthy layoff, Vonn returned to World Cup competition at Lake Louise in December last year, but by that time she had already reinjured her knee and opted for further surgery in January that kept her out of the Sochi Olympics.

"I had to build everything back up from nothing," Vonn said. "My leg had nothing left - just skin, no muscle."

Vonn said that for her, the hardest part of rehab was the early months, when she could do very little.

When the hard work started, she was eager to take it on.

"I love being in the gym," she said. "I love pushing myself."

Vonn also said she's not haunted by the memory of her World Championships crash, requiring no special mental coaching to overcome a fear of further injury.

"I didn't need anyone's help," she said. "I just believe in myself and in the work that I have done. That's enough for me."

(China Daily 12/06/2014 page9)